One hundred percent of the household-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Buenavista, Quezon Province now have their own toilet facilities. This is after the integration of the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) Program in the Family Development Sessions (FDS) of the said beneficiaries in 2014 as part of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) goal of improving the living condition of the poor.

The CLTS Program aims to mobilize communities to take their own action in eliminating open defecation. In partnership with the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program, the CLTS was integrated to the monthly FDS of beneficiaries to build awareness on the negative implications of the practice of open defecation and get their commitment to build their own toilets.

In the said town, there were 1,606 households practicing open defecation among the 2,784 Pantawid-registered households in 2014. Through the CLTS and the partnership with various partners, all have their own toilet facilities and have stopped the practice of open defecation as of this reporting period.

“The success of the zero open defecation in Buenavista can also be attributed to the strong collaboration of partners towards this goal,” shared Marilyn Barrameda, Provincial Link of Quezon Province.

In the implementation of the CLTS, the local government unit of Buenavista signed a resolution towards achieving zero open defecation. They also allotted supplemental budget for the provision of sanitary latrines and other materials for toilet construction to the beneficiaries.

The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines also became active partners in the achievement of zero open defecation. The PNP supported the ordinance through summoning those who were not following the order.

Further, the DSWD and the LGU tapped Manulife Foundation, which donated materials for the construction of toilet facilities in the said municipality.

In the country, the integration of the CLTS in the FDS for the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is piloted in Quezon Province.# with reports from MBarrameda